Safety device for trigger guard



Feb. 27, 1962 c. H. CANNON 3,022,596

SAFETY DEVICE FOR TRIGGER GUARD Filed May 11, 1960 m 38 Colbert H. Cannon 52 5 44: INVENTOR.

ll ll \ll E 54-. 3 WW ZQM L 3,22,5fih Patented Feb. 27, 1962 ihee ' 3,622,595 SAFETY DEVICE FGR TRIGGER GUAw Colbert H Cannon, Rte. 1, Box 334, Gold Hill, Greg. Filed Nlay 11, 1960, SenNo. 23,282

1 Claim. ((31. 42--1) This invention relates to a novel and useful safety device for trigger guards on firearms and the like, and more particularly to a safety cover comprising an open topped trough shaped body adapted to fit about and snugly receive the guard assembly of a firearm so that the trigger of the firearm will be completely enclosed thus eliminating the possibility of an unloaded firearm being accidentally discharged.

In the past there have been far too many tragic instances of unloaded firearms" being accidentally discharged. Of course, firearms should not be handled if they are loaded unless the person handling the firearm contemplates using the latter in the very near future, but occasionally, and far too often, firearms believed to be unloaded are handled carelessly, or at least without exercising proper caution, when actually they are loaded.

In the past various types of safety covers for trigger guard assemblies have been devised as a safety precaution for preventing the accidental discharge of unloaded fire-,

arms but most of these have included the provision of a cover assembly hingedly or at least swingably mounted to the firearm. Not only does a hingedly mounted trigger guard hinder a person when firing the firearm, but it also has a tendency to cause the person contemplating using the firearm to maintain the safety coverin an open position so that the trigger of the firearm may be readily accessible should he desire to discharge the firearm. This of course defeats the purpose of the safety cover and it is therefore the main object of this invention to provide a safety cover for trigger guard assemblies which may be secured to a trigger guard assembly in a manner whereby the cover will be frictionally retained in engagement with the trigger guard assembly but may be, on an instants notice, be readily removed. a I

A further object of this invention, in accordance with the immediately preceding object, is tov provide a safety cover which may be quickly secured to a trigger guard assembly or transferred from one to the other without effecting alterations of the firearms to which the cover is secured.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a safety cover which will completely enclose the trigger guard assembly of a firearm in tight frictional engagement therewith so that moisture in the form of fog or rain and dust will not be able to penetrate the firing mechanism of the firearm to which the trigger guard cover is secured.

A final object to be specifically enumerated herein is to provide a trigger guard assembly cover that will conform to conventional forms of manufacture, be of simple and durable construction and easy to use so as to provide a device that will be economically feasible, long lasting and of little bother to use.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

cover illustrated in FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 5 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by thesection line 5-5 of FIGURE 4.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings there will be seen a conventional form of firearm in FIGURE 1 generally designated by the reference numeral 10. The firearm 10 is in the form of a ride including a stock 12 and a barrel generally designated by the reference numeral 14 having a bolt mechanism generally referred to by the reference numeral 16. The trigger assembly 18 projects from beneath the lower surface of the stock 12 and includes a trigger 20 and an open frame-like trigger guard 22. The trigger guard 22 is generally U-shaped in longitudinal section and the legs 24 and 26 of the trigger guard 22 terminate in right angled base mounting portions 28 and 34 respectively.

It is to be understood that the trigger guard 22 is more or less in the form of a rigid strap member substantially wider than its thickness and thatthe width of the trigger guard 22 is slightly greater than the width of the trigger 23.

Referring now more specifically to FIGURES 2 through 5 it will be noted that the cover assembly is generally designated by the reference numeral 32 and includes a pair of opposite side walls 34 and 36 interconnected by means of end walls 38 and 4b and a bottom wall 42. The cover assembly 32 is in the form of an open topped trough shaped body and is constructed of any suitable resilient material such as rubber.

Formed on each of the side walls 34 and 36 along the marginal portions thereof are a plurality of inwardly projecting marginal lugs 44 and 46 that are spaced slightly from the bottom wall 42 and the end walls 38 and 49 respectively.

Each of the marginal lugs are substantially semi-circular in cross-section and are provided with substantially flat surfaces 48 and 50 respectively opposing the bottom wall 42 and the end walls 33 and 40 respectively. The distance the lugs 44 and 46 are spaced from the bottom Wall 42 and the end walls 38 and 40 is determined by the thickness of the trigger guard 22 with the lugs being spaced from the bottom wall 42 and the end walls 38 and 40 a distance slightly greater than the thickness of the trigger guard 22 so as to form a recess 51 immediately adjacent the inner surfaces of the bottom and end walls for snugly receiving the trigger guard 22. I

Each of the side walls 34 and 36 is also provided with an inwardly projecting upper lug 52 adjacent the upper edges of the side walls 34 and 36 and intermediate the opposite ends thereof. The upper lugs 52 are adapted FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of the trigger to frictionally engage opposite sides of the trigger 2t? and thus, the lugs 52 project slightly further inwardly from the side walls 34 and 36 than the lugs 44 and 46 inasmuch as the trigger 20 is of less width than the trigger guard 22. The side walls 34 and 36 are further provided with retaining lugs 54 that are adapted to frictionally engage the base mounting portions 28 and 39 of the trigger guard 22. These retaining lugs 54 project inwardly slightly less than the lugs 46 and are to frictionally engage the opposite sides of the mounting portions 28 and 30 and no! overlap those portions as the lugs 44 and 46' are adapted to slightly overlap the side edges of the guard 22 positioned in the space defined between the lugs 44 and 4t and the bottom wall 42 and the end walls 38 and 40.

In operation, whether the firearm 12 is loaded or not the cover 32 is positioned over the trigger guard 22 witl the latter received in the space defined between the lug: 44 and 46 and the bottom wall42 and the end walls 38 3 and 4-0 and the retaining lugs 54 frictionally engaging the opposite sides of the mounting portions 28 and 30. in this manner, the lugs 44, 46 and 54 frictionally engage portions of the trigger guard 22 to resiliently resist the removal of the cover assembly 32 and the lugs 52 frictionally engage the opposite sides of the trigger 20.

When the cover assembly 32 is thus positioned it will not only greatly reduce the possibility of the firearm 16 being accidentally discharged but it will also prevent the entrance of moisture, dust, and the like into the trigger mechanism of the firearm 1%. When it is desired to remove the cover assembly 32, the outwardly projecting lugs 56 formed on the outer surfaces of the side walls 34 and 36 will facilitate the removal of the cover assembly 32 in a rapid manner so that the firearm 10 may be instantaneously readied for discharging when it is desired.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

' What is claimed as new is as follows:

In combination with a firearm having an outwardly projecting trigger and a generally U-shaped trigger guard therefor of the type having a pair of depending and generally parallel legs interconnected at their lower ends by means of a bight portion, the upper ends of said legs including base mounting portions overlying portions of said firearm adjacent said trigger and secured to said firearm, a safety cover comprising a one-piece open topped trough-shaped body of resilient material including opposite side Walls interconnected by opposite end walls and a bottom wall, said body snugly and removably receiving said guard with the outer surfaces of said legs and bight portion disposed in surface to surface contacting relation with the inner surfaces of said end walls and said bottom wall respectively, the marginal portions of said side walls adjacent said bottom and end walls being provided with integrai inwardly projecting marginal lugs disposed a spaced distance from said end walls and said bottom wall and defining a guard receiving recess inwardly of said bottom and end walls for snugly receiving corresponding portions of said guard between said marginal lugs and said bottom wall and end Walls, said marginal lugs formed on both of said side walls with the lugs on each side wall aligned with the lugs on the other side Wall and the adjacent free ends of corresponding lugs being spaced apart a distance less than the width of said trigger guard, at least one inwardly projecting upper lug formed on each of said side Walls adjacent the upper edges thereof and intermediate the opposite ends thereof frictionally engaging opposite sides of said trigger.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,569,553 Lewis et a1. Jan. 12, 1926 1,686,482 Windle Oct. 2, 1928 2,080,202 Drake May 11, 1937 2,444,649 Jacobs July 6, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS 117 Austria Aug. 25, 1899 4,626 Great Britain 1905 

